The Chipenden Spook: Team of Warriors
by The County's Best Spook
Summary: SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE WHOLE LAST APPRENTICE SERIES, DON'T READ! Last year, Tom Ward destroyed the Fiend, and his destruction was what woke up another, newborn god. The god is Talkus. His goal is to wipe out human kind and let the Kobalos Mages rule earth. Tom Ward and his ally Grimalkin the witch assassin must destroy yet another dark god.
1. Spook's Business

**Chapter 1:**

 **Spook's Business**

My Name is Thomas Jason Ward, and I am the Chipenden Spook. I am the protector of the County, and the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Not only that, but I am my mam's son, too.

My Master, John Gregory, was the best spook the County ever had. He served the County for over sixty years, and went down in a battle at the Wardstone. That very battle put an end to the Fiend, but in doing so raised a new, just-born god Talkus of the Kobalos people. That god would wipe out humanity if it had half a chance.

The bell at the edge of the garden rang. Spook's business.

"What's wrong, and what's your name?" I asked the man.

"The name's Gimm, and there's a boggart been taking refuge in our house." he grunted.

I asked, "Do you know what type of boggart it is?"

"'What type'? It's a bloody BOGGART!" replied Gimm, angrily. "Your master would know these things, I'm sure. I want him to help me instead."

"Sorry," I mumbled, reluctant and sad to reflect upon it, "but my master is dead."

"DEAD? Why is it that none of you last long enough? Well, it seems that _you'll_ have to do!" He bellowed.

"Okay, that's enough. Go and spend the night in your neighbor's house. Take your family along with you. I've to get ready, if I'm to deal with the boggart." I walked back to the house.

I turned back to him. "Where _is_ your house?"

"Last on the left of Durbank road in Wentcher," came the gruff reply.

"I'll be there at nightfall, then."

How was I going to deal with this? He hadn't specified which type it was. For all I know it could just be a furry boggart, or it could be a ripper. How was I to know? How could I prepare?

The solution came to me. Pack everything for every kind of boggart. I decided that would be the best thing to do.

I packed my staff, a Blood Dish, a satchel full of salt and iron, and my silver chain, just in case.

I would set out for Wentcher that evening.

As I neared Wentcher, the air smelled increasingly of wet smoke. It was a foul place, and no one seemed to care about hygiene. The place reeked of pigs and chicken poop. It was a loud place with blacksmiths left and right, and parents yelling at their children. To say the least, I'd seen better places.

"Can you give me directions to. . . Erm. . . 'Durbank' road?" was the question I asked every local I passed. Most shrugged it off and walked by without an answer, but one old man said, "It's down past this road and on to the next. Follow that pattern and you'll find it." I shrugged and went down the road before it hit me: he just told me to keep walking out of town. I kept asking and finally got a strait answer: "Follow this road for two more blocks. Turn right and take the second left on that road." I thanked her and continued down the road.

When I got to the end of Durbank, it was obvious what kind of boggart it was.

A rock the size of my fist came out of the broken window, almost knocking my head off.

"We got boggart trouble! Take cover!" I yelled.

I dodged a hail of pebbles, stones, and even a few boulders, and hid beside a window. I had forgotten my shield. The boggart couldn't get me if I stayed here, right? No, wrong. The wall shook. I moved out of the way just in time, as a boulder smashed down the wall. I ran to another spot, to distract the boggart. It was then I decided to talk to it, convince it to leave.

"Why are you doing this? Why don't you leave, and move on? Go stay somewhe-" A rock flew past me and crashed into a window across the street. There was a loud, bloodcurdling scream, and I continued, "Somewhere else! We have enough problems in life without a stone chu-"

I could tell that it wasn't working, because that was when it chose to throw a stone larger than my head, which luckily missed my right shoulder by inches, crashing on to the ground a few meters behind me. Luckily, it fell short of the neighbor's house.

"Okay, if this is what you want," I said. I put my staff on the ground, reached in my satchel, and grabbed a handful of salt and iron in each hand. I had to lure it out in the open.

I teased the boggart, standing in the open just to rush out of the way when it threw a stone. Luring it outside was easier said than done. I tried what I could, and finally prevailed.

When I finally did get it out, it was a clear shot. But it had a clear shot of me, too. I dodged another stone and quickly threw the salt and iron. My aim was true. The clouds of dust met right in the middle, surrounding the boggart in dust. The stone chucker fell to the ground, screaming, writhing in pain. I put my finger into the recess in my staff. There was a loud click and a blade popped out the end.

I jabbed at the boggart with my staff, trying to find a spot where it's coat of rocks was loose, a chink in the armor. It was difficult to find one. Finally, I knocked off a rock the size of my foot, and stabbed down as hard as I could. I had never heard of doing such a thing. Would there be consequences if I killed it? I certainly hoped not.

I had the thing pinned under my staff. It was struggling and writhing harder than ever before. I pressed down harder.

There was no way for it to do what it did. It did the impossible.

It disappeared. It hadn't simply turned invisible, it. . . disappeared.


	2. Illusion

**Chapter 4:**

 **Illusion**

I stood there, gawping. What just happened? How could this happen? Maybe it always happened when you killed a boggart? It just didn't make sense to me.

I heard a deep, cruel, mocking laugh. This made even less sense, now.

"Tom, Tom, Tom. You fell for that? I don't believe it. I just don't." I stayed low to the ground.

Now this made more sense. At least, more sense than it had. I had been tricked. It was a trap. A work of illusion.

I said, without looking up, "Lukrasta." The cruel laughing started back up. "What's so amusing, huh?"

I resolved to look up.

I didn't see what I expected to see. What I saw baffled me. I saw a tall, dark tower, a moat around it, a narrow staircase, only fit for two people at a time.

I saw the tower in Cymru. I saw Lukrasta's home. I saw the balcony where Lukrasta and Alice kissed.

I saw Lukrasta and Alice.

"Need you, Tom, we do," Alice told me, "We really do. When you killed the Fiend and woke Talkus, we decided we needed an alliance, you and us."

"Alliance?" came my spiteful reply. " _Alliance,_ Alice? We were friends, Alice. Now we're _allies_? _Allies_?"

"Tom, please-"

" _No_. I told you to never come near me again! I said I'd bind you in a pit in Chipenden. I think it's time I do just that!" I shouted, angry.

"No, _Tom!_ " yelled Alice.

"You disgust me, Alice. You are a traitor! We were friends, Alice! _Friends_! And we could've still been friends. I'm disappointed, Alice." I rushed at her with my staff's blade out. I didn't have the starblade, but I didn't care. I realized then that a chain would be a better weapon, so I reached under my shirt to get my silver chain, when -

 _Wham_. I was knocked backwards.

" _Tom_! What did you _do_ , Lukrasta? Why?"

"I couldn't let him hurt you."

" _Crazy_ , are you? Now he'll _never_ ally himself with us!"

Blackness closed in around the edges. I tried to stand. I wouldn't. . . Give in. . . My vision got blurred. The last thing I saw was Alice, shoving Lukrasta.I blacked out, but I heard something. Something like a slap, and a cry of pain. Was the cry mine?


	3. Escape

**Chapter 3:**

 **Escape**

" _Come on, let's get you out of here._ "

I grunted.

" _Tom_. _Tom,_ _Tom._ " I felt something softly slap my cheek. I groaned.

" _Come on, Tom!_ " came a sly whisper in my ear.

I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I was shackled, hands and feet bound to a wall. Knowing this, I let a moan escape my mouth. I started to remember what had happened. How long had I been out? I felt extremely groggy.

"Ugg," was all I could say.

" _Tom!_ "

"Eh?" I asked.

" _Tom, come on!_ "

"Uh." At this point, I'm thinking, " _what the heck am I saying?"_

I felt a hand slap my cheek yet again.

"Uwuhuh."

" _Tom! Wake up!_ "

"Whazzeryudoing?" I tried to ask.

" _Quiet, Tom! Trying to get you out of here, I am,_ " came the reply.

"Uh."

" _Come on, be quiet!_ "

"Ali. . . Alice?"

" _Yes, Tom, It's me, Alice!_ "

"No."

" _No? Not in your right mind, you._ "

Maybe I wasn't, but still. " _No._ "

" _I'm trying to get you out of here! Now help me!_ "

"Why. . ?"

" _Don't you want to get out of here? WAKE UP!_ "

 _Wake up._ Why-?

There was a slap across my face.

" _Ow!_ " I yelled, "Damnit, Alice! What the heck was that?"

"Me getting you to _wake up_ , that was. Come on, help me undo these chains, will you?" I tried as best as I could to help.

"Okay, okay." I shook the chains. Loud. Bad idea.

" _Shh!_ "

"Yeah. I know. Loud. How are we going to do this?" I asked her.

She pointed up t the ceiling. I looked and saw where the chains were nailed to the ceiling. The nails were sticking out, easy to grab and pry, if you had something to do it with. I pulled the chains taunt, while Alice grabbed a pair of scissors to pull the nail out with. One down, fifteen to go. Three nails later, my left hand was free. I did the same with my other hand, while Alice pulled out the nails. My hands were free. Now, I had to stretch out on the ground to pull the chains on my ankles tight. This was a difficult and uncomfortable position for both me and Alice. Finally, my hands were free.

"Why did you free me?" I asked her. "I tried to bind you in a pit."

"I couldn't let Lukratsa hurt you." She said. "Rather hurt him, or be hurt myself, I would."

I thought about that. She'd rather be hurt than let anyone hurt me.

"I - I don't know what to say, Alice," I said, because it was true. "I'm not sure I trust you."

She looked hurt. "I understand that, but I wish you would believe me, trust me, I do."

"Well, how are we going to get out? Where are my things?"

"They're in Lukrasta's room." she said.


	4. Tides Have Turned

**Chapter 4:**

 **Tides Have Turned**

Lukrasta's room. My things were in that filthy mage's room. The room he so recently shared with Alice.

"How will we do this, Alice?" I asked.

"Umm, I haven't put much thought into that," she said. "Just improvised, I did." This was maddening. I was expecting a fully formed escape plan. . .

"Alice, I can't believe. . ." I stopped myself. "I wish you had a plan." My dad always taught me not to be rude. "Is Lukrasta out of the house?" I asked.

"In the yard, him. Don't need to worry yourself about him, not yet." I wondered if she was lying.

 _Where is Lukrasta,_ I thought. I waited. There was a flash of lightning in my head, and a spark of pain, and I felt that there was something in the garden. Lukrasta. She was telling the truth.

"Okay, we need to hurry. Where is his room?" I asked.

"Follow me," said Alice, and she set off up the stairs.

It seemed to me that the tides had turned. I followed Alice up the stairs. On the second story was a corridor, three doors on each side. Alice headed into the third door on the right, and I followed.

In the room, which I assumed was Lukrasta's, I saw a bed, a fairly large nightstand next to it, and my staff and silver chain. Next to them was my satchel full of salt and iron.

He must have found the blood dish useless. It was nowhere to be found. I looked for anything else that would be useful to have or know about, when the front door creaked open.

 _Where is Lukrasta?_ Nothing. I got no flash of lightning, no pain. He was cloaking.

I pressed my finger into the recess in my staff. I t came out with a loud click and I put my finger to my lips.

I mouthed the words Quick - under the bed! to Alice. I hid in his closet and peeked out to confirm that Alice hid under the bed. She did. I eased the closet door closed.

Surely Lukrasta would check the cellar first, because that was where I was being held? No. He slowly creaked towards the stairs. Lukrasta knew we were here. There was a thunk and a creak. This pattern followed eleven times more.

He paced we towards the door. The sound of him coming towards the end of the hallway was the creepiest thing I ever heard.

The door slid open. . . My breathing intensified tenfold. I wished I could see Alice. I didn't know how she was holding up. I had no idea how she was doing. What if it was a trap?

Lukrasta put his hand on the closet door's handle. It fell down a quarter of an inch because of the weight of his hand. It inched open, squeaking and squealing on its wheels. I readied my staff. I needed the starblade, or I would be dead. I need the starblade, but I won't dig it up. I refuse. Never.

The closet was dank and dusty smelling. The clothes were of the finest quality of silk. The door was pine wood. The door was almost open enough for Lukrasta to see me.

I saw his left shoulder. His arm. I saw his face. I was paralyzed. I couldn't move. Something moved under the bed. Alice. She scrambled out from under the bed and snuck up behind Lukrasta. She held her hands in one large fist high above his head. She brought her hands down hard on his head, and he collapsed in a heap under her hands. It seemed that the tides had turned.

Suddenly I could move. I heard a growl from downstairs.

"Uh, Alice? What was that?" I asked, slightly nervous.

"Can't rightly say I know the answer," she responded.

The growl became a roar, and it ran toward the stairs. I readied my staff. I heard it run up the stairs, and saw a pinkish purple figure come barreling towards us. I suddenly realized what it was. It was a boggart, a ripper.

I held my staff downwards, ready to pierce its ugly, bloated skin. It ran towards me, and I pushed down with my staff. There was a loud, disgusting squelching sound, and it stopped moving. It reeked of fresh blood.

I walked cautiously down the creaky hallway, and made my way down the stairs and to the door. I walked out and saw a garden. In that garden there was my blood dish. It was stained red with dried blood. Suddenly I figured out what had happened. It was my blood in the dish. That explained the cut on my arm. That also explained why the boggart ran straight for me.

I picked up my blood dish and walked back in to find Alice. I walked up into Lukrasta's room. I went to no trouble to be cautious. Alice was not there. I looked through the rest of the tower. I couldn't find her.


End file.
